By CESAR JOLITO III
The Office of Civil Defense in the Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) confirmed yesterday that Typhoon “Tino” has claimed 83 lives across the region, with 34 individuals still reported missing as retrieval operations continue.
Negros Occidental has been the hardest hit, recording 62 fatalities, the OCD-NIR said.
The town of Moises Padilla suffered the highest number of deaths at 14, followed by La Castellana with 10 confirmed fatalities and 18 missing persons.
Other affected towns in Negros Occidental include:
* Bago City: seven deaths, four missing
* Isabela: six deaths, five missing
* Ilog: six deaths
* La Carlota City: three deaths, six missing
* San Carlos City: three deaths, two missing
* Murcia: two deaths
* Hinigaran: one death, one missing
* Binalbagan: one death
* Himamaylan City: one death
Pontevedra officials, however, denied that it had eight casualties.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno clarified last night that there were no casualties in Pontevedra and the eight fatalities may have been from other town or city.
In Negros Oriental, Canlaon City reported 20 deaths and five missing individuals, while Vallehermoso town confirmed an additional fatality.
All casualties have been verified by the Philippine National Police, OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III said, although some reports are still being validated as the number of missing persons continues to rise.
Power restoration efforts are ongoing, with only 50 percent of electricity in Negros Occidental restored.
“Only 50 percent of power has been restored. Moises Padilla and La Carlota still do not have sufficient power,” Sermeno added.
In response to the disaster, Department of Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco is scheduled to visit Negros Island today, November 11, representing the Office of the President, to assess the situation in the most severely affected towns and cities.
Remain in evacuation centers
More than 11,000 residents in Bacolod City remain in various evacuation centers following the devastation caused by Typhoon “Tino” and Super Typhoon “Uwan.”
According to the latest report from the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) in Bacolod, as of yesterday, 178 families — or 8,077 individuals — are still taking refuge in evacuation centers after their homes were damaged amid “Tino.”
DSSD-Bacolod head Dr. Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said that as of 7:00 a.m. yesterday, 806 families — or 3,226 individuals — underwent preemptive evacuation from coastal areas in anticipation of “Uwan.”
“We are pleased with the proactive actions of residents in coastal areas who voluntarily followed evacuation protocols. This has significantly eased the burden on our rescue teams during emergencies,” Verdeprado-Mangga said.
Since Typhoon “Tino” struck, a total of 99 evacuation centers have been opened, providing temporary shelter to 8,812 families.
Damage assessments across 36 barangays in Bacolod reveal that 1,024 houses were completely destroyed, while 7,685 were partially damaged.
Social workers from DSSD continue to validate these figures on the ground.
Authorities confirmed that Bacolod City is no longer under any storm signal, allowing residents to gradually return to normalcy./CJ, WDJ